Cancer is always a difficult disease to deal with regardless of where it is in your body or how advanced it is. Some cancers are known to be more difficult to fight than others. One of the toughest to treat is mesothelioma. This cancer affects the mesothelium, which is a thin layer of tissue that covers your organs. It often appears in the lungs and chest.
According to the American Cancer Society, treatment depends on the stage. If you are in the very early stages, your doctor may not recommend any treatment. He or she may simply watch your cancer and monitor it for signs of growth or symptoms.
Typically, stage I, II and III cases are resectable, which means that a doctor can remove the cancer through surgery. In addition to the surgery, some doctors may give chemotherapy before or after surgery along with radiation or just radiation alone after surgery. There is no clear evidence or standard right now what is best.
You must have generally good health to undergo surgery. If the doctor does not feel he or she can remove all the cancer during the surgery, then he or she will often not put you through the operation.
For more advanced stages and for patients who cannot undergo the surgery to remove the cancer, it is unresectable. The main treatment if you are an unresectable patient is chemotherapy. Doctors may have other treatments they use as well, such as immunotherapy.
Sometimes, the best course of treatment is simply managing pain and relieving other symptoms. You may also have the option of being in a clinical trial to try out new treatment options.
